Material handling roller

ABSTRACT

A material handling roller which form the armature of an electric motor whose field winding is supported by the roller and is held against rotation by means coupled to a fixed element.

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3, 82,530 Breting Jan. 1, 1974 [5 1 MATERIAL HANDLING ROLLER Inventor: Oliver Breting, 16, Residence la Pinsonne, Garges-les-Gonesse (Val dOise), France Filed: Oct. 2, 1972 Appl. No.: 294,228

US. Cl. 198/127 E Int. Cl. B65g 13/02 Field of Search 198/127 E; 29/110 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/l929 Langsdorf 198/127 E Primary ExaminerRichard E. Aegerter Att0rneyLorimer P. Brooks et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A material handling roller which form the armature of an electric motor whose field winding is supported by the roller and is held against rotation by means coupled to a fixed element.

12 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures MATERIAL HANDLING ROLLER The present invention is concerned with handling apparatus having rollers, or groups of rollers, set in rotation by external means, and suitable for conveying diverse products such as jars, parcels, boxes, ingots, furniture etc.

It is known to be often useful to be able to disengage such rollers. If in fact the load can no longer advance, continuation of the rotation, as well as uselessly dissipating energy, may wear or heat by friction the same point of the transported product. Furthermore, in the case of packages in file, that is hold files, the cumulative action of the rollers on all of the packages can lead to excessive pressure on the last package, this is the fault of pushed files. The disengagement by the load of a roller, of the roller or group of rollers, which precedes it, is the classic method of avoiding such a possibility.

One of the oldest known means of driving the handling rollers is to secure to their extremities sprockets which receive and transmit the movement of a drive chain itself coupled to a reduction gear. The liability to wear and mechanical failure, the difficulty of sequential uncoupling and the price are known disadvantages.

A second classic means of driving the rollers is to locate below them a band, itself driven by means of a reduction gear, and to releasably press the band by a friction roller. This economic solution always imposes for uncoupling a complex mechanism which often compromises the function of the hold file, the sensitivity to the weight of the loads being often suspect.

A third known roller drive gives the roller the function of an armature at the price of the homogeneous or composite material required, of a synchronous electric motor of which the field winding wholly or partly surrounds it. The control of current feed to the field winding by a sensitive relay, whether or not associated with a proximity device for example, can achieve very complex yet reliable automation. Besides, drive by a roller motor of one or more juxtaposed rollers by belts or chains can result in substantial price reduction. But the mounting of the field winding still requires a special support, coupled in various ways to the roller supports themselves, while providing an accurate small air-gap between the winding and the roller. This leads to high precision in assembly because the number of mounting elements greatly reduces overall accuracy. Further, and particularly with a partial winding, the magnetic forces between the winding and the roller, are transmitted by the same assembly and require it to be very rigid as well as requiring increased capacity of the roller bearings. These limitations have reduced the contemporary usage of this type of drive which nonetheless has very substantial qualities.

The object of this invention is a handling roller driven by the third means indicated above, but freed from the limitations of robustness and precision created by the magnetic forces acting between the winding and the roller.

To this end and according to the invention, the winding is supported by the roller itself forming the armature by way of support means rotatable relative to the roller and applied directly to the roller and this winding is coupled to a fixed part bymeans which hold the winding against rotation and against axial translation.

Thus, the field winding support mentioned above, itself attached to the axle of the roller, disappears, the winding becoming a form of sleeve surrounding the whole or part of the roller and it suffices to fix the sleeve in a lateral direction and against rotation by any appropriate means; cross-pieces between rollers, a shaft fixed on the side plates of the: roller table, or simply staying fixed to fixed parts of the installation.

According to one particularly interesting embodiment, the winding extends around the whole of the periphery of the armature located below the plane of the load of the roller when incorporated in a conveyor.-

According to an advantageous arrangement the winding is coatedon the interior with an autolubricant forming the air-gap and bearing directly on the arma ture.

According to another embodiment the winding is provided with at least three free friction rollers bearing on the armature at three places extending over more than of the periphery of the armature.

Various other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

Some embodiments achieving the object of the invention are shown, by way of non-limiting examples, in

the attached drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevation and FIG. 2 is a side view showing a first form of roller according to the invention, and more particularly of the suspension of the winding;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are views analagous to the preceding views and showing a second embodiment;

FIGS. 5 and 7 are views analagous to FIGS. 2 and 4 showing various means for holding the winding against rotation and translation.

The roller 1 of FIG. 1, is only shown in the region of the winding, the only region concerned with the drive. This winding comprises a body 2, bobbins 3, feed wires 4, friction rollers 5 and spindles 6, these rollers and spindles being set in the core of the winding. FIG. 2 shows in profile the disposition of the pieces. Already one can see that if the magnetic forces are small and the rollers,5 are of low friction material, one can omit the spindles 6, the rollers running directly in the core of the winding, duly polished and lubricated. in the extreme case, as mentioned above, the roller itself can run directly in the winding core, given an appropriate lubricating material. To this end, a plastic of low coefficient of friction, applied for example in a fluidised bed as currently practised, can act both as lubricant and as insulator.

FIG. 3 shows a very partial winding. Again there is roller 1, body 2, bobbins 3, feed wires 4 and rollers 5 with their spindles aligned in pairs situated outside the winding core; this latter not being able to enclose the roller must support plates 7 by rigid connections 8, to carry the spindles 6 of rollers 5. FIG. 4 shows in profile, the arrangement of these elements.

It is to be noted that the enveloping winding of FIG. 1 can adopt the same configuration of rollers 5 for airgap maintenance at the only cost of setting their spindles 6 in the extremity of rigid stays such as 8. This solution can be a simple remedy where the rollers cannot be set in the core.

FIG. 5 shows that the winding core 2 presents a reeess 9 to receive a bar 10 itself fixed on a support frame of the roller, to hold the winding against rotation. The bars are extended by ears 11 holding the winding laterally by acting as stops. FIG. 6 shows a funicular suspension of the winding by wires 12 attached to an eye 13. Finally according to FIG. 7 a rigid framework from motor to motor of shafts fixed to ears 14 of the windings is another of many solutions for holding the winding against rotation and lateral displacement.

The industrial application of the invention is that of all controlled rollers, grouped or not in handling tables, or in curves of controlled cylindrical rollers, the flexibility of programming which enables a simple electric relay associated with motors opening the way to the most complex automation.

What we claim is:

1. In a motorized handling roller comprising a support, an elongated element of revolution supported in bearings on said support for rotation around the axis of said element, at least a portion of said element being formed of a metal or metallic alloy appropriate for the armature of an electric motor and at least said portion of said element having a peripheral surface which is circular in cross-section and co-axial with said axis, a magnetic field member extending at least party around said portion of said element and comprising a body of magnetic material having an inner surface co-axial with said surface of said portion but spaced radially outwardly therefrom and a field winding on said body, the combination therewith of means for supporting said field member from said element comprising bearing means engaging the peripheral surface of said element at a plurality of portions thereof and connected to said body, said element being rotatable with respect to said bearing means and said bearing means being disposed with respect to said surface and said body so as to prevent radially inward and outward movement of said body with respect to said portion of said element, and coupling means coupling said body to said support for preventing rotation of said body and axial movement thereof with respect to said portion.

2. Roller according to claim 1 wherein said body extends around the whole of the part of the periphery of said element located below the plane of the load when the roller is incorporated in a conveyor.

3. Roller according to claim 1 wherein said bearing means is a layer of self-lubricating material on said inner surface of said body intermediate said inner surface and said peripheral surface of said portion of said element.

4. Roller according to claim 1 wherein said bearing means comprises at least three free, bearing rollers bearing on the peripheral surface of said element and rotatably supported by said body so as to bear on said lastmentioned surface at three places, the peripheral spacing of such places being more than of the periphery of said element.

5. Roller according to claim 4 wherein said bearing rollers are rotatably mounted on portions of said body.

6. Roller according to claim 4 wherein said bearing rollers are rotatably mounted on a pair of plates fixed rigidly on the axially opposite ends of said body.

7. Roller according to claim 4 wherein said bearing rollers are mounted for free rotation about spindles carried by said body.

8. Roller according to claim 4 wherein said bearing rollers are rotatably mounted in recesses in said body adjacent to said portion of said element.

9. Roller according to claim 4 wherein said bearing rollers are mounted on spindles supported by extensions of said body.

10. Roller according to claim 1 wherein said body has a recess therein and said coupling means comprises a coupling element extending into and engaging a wall of said recess and having projections engaging said support.

11. Roller according to claim 1 wherein said coupling means comprises a flexible coupling element secured to said body and to said support.

12. Roller according to claim 1 wherein said coupling means comprises a framework for coupling one said body to another said body and for coupling said one body to said support.

* Flt UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 a 782 a 530 Dated -TY 1 1974 O1 Inventor) lVleI Bretlng It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the cover sheet insert 1 130] Foreign Application Priority Data France 35627 October 4 1971 1+ Signed and sealed this 24th day of June 1975.

(SEAL) Attest:

C. i-iARSHALL DANN Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks RUTH C. I-iASON Arresting Officer F ORM PO-105O (10-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-F'69 [1.5T GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE -UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION I Patnt: No. 3 7 1 Dated January 1, 1974 lgwmtofls) Olivier Bretivng It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent: and that .said Letters Patent are hereby (:orrected as shown below:

Front Page:

Identifier {54] "Oliver" should -Olivie ri- Signed and sealed this 15th day of October 1974 (SEAL) Attest:

McCOY M. GIBSON JR. Attesting Qfficer c. MARSHALL DANN Commissioner of Patents FORM USCOMM-DC 60376-969 a U S GOVIINMINT PIIN'ING QFF'ICE l9, 0-355-13 

1. In a motorized handling roller comprising a support, an elongated element of revolution supported in bearings on said support for rotation around the axis of said element, at least a portion of said element being formed of a metal or metallic alloy appropriate for the armature of an electric motor and at least said portion of said element having a peripheral surface which is circular in cross-section and co-axial with said axis, a magnetic field member extending at least party around said portion of said element and comprising a body of magnetic material having an inner surface co-axial with said surface of said portion but spaced radially outwardly therefrom and a field winding on said body, the combination therewith of means for supporting said field member from said element comprising bearing means engaging the peripheral surface of said element at a plurality of portions thereof and connected to said body, said element being rotatable with respect to said bearing means and said bearing means being disposed with respect to said surface and said body so as to prevent radially inward and outward movement of said body with respect to said portion of said element, and coupling means coupling said body to said support for preventing rotation of said body and axial movement thereof with respect to said portion.
 2. Roller according to claim 1 wherein said body extends around the whole of the part of the periphery of said element located below the plane of the load when the roller is incorporated in a conveyor.
 3. Roller according to claim 1 wherein said bearing means is a layer of self-lubricating material on said inner surface of said body intermediate said inner surface and said peripheral surface of said portion of said element.
 4. Roller according to claim 1 wherein said bearing means comprises at least three free, bearing rollers bearing on the peripheral surface of said element and rotatably supported by said body so as to bear on said lastmentioned surface at three places, the peripheral spacing of such places being more than 180* of the periphery of said element.
 5. Roller according to claim 4 wherein said bearing rollers are rotatably mounted on portions of said body.
 6. Roller according to claim 4 wherein said bearing rollers are rotatably mounted on a pair of plates fixed rigidly on the axially opposite ends of said body.
 7. Roller according to claim 4 wherein said bearing rollers are mounted for free rotation about spindles carried by said body.
 8. Roller according to claim 4 wherein said bearing rollers are rotatably mounted in recesses in said body adjacent to said portion of said element.
 9. Roller according to claim 4 wherein said bearing rollers are mounted on spindles supported by extensions of said body.
 10. Roller according to claim 1 wherein said body has a recess therein and said coupling means comprises a coupling element extending into and engaging a wall of said recess and having projections engaging said support.
 11. Roller according to claim 1 wherein said coupling means comprises a flexible coupling element secured to said body and to said support.
 12. Roller according to claim 1 wherein said coupling means comprises a framework for coupling one said body to another said body and for coupling said one body to said support. 